


Slowing The Flash Down

by WestAllenDreams



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Drama, Fluff and Smut, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-06 15:06:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19065094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WestAllenDreams/pseuds/WestAllenDreams
Summary: Set after the team returns from Earth-2 in Season 2, Barry decides to reveal all he knows about their future to Iris by introducing her to Gideon.Wally gets closer to Jesse but she finds it hard to keep all she knows from him, causing a rift between her, Team Flash and her father.





	1. Too Fast

**Author's Note:**

> Barry and Iris disagree.

Iris didn’t realise how much what Barry had told her about their lives on Earth-2 had affected her until she was sitting at her desk after her boss, Scott had asked her out. That’s weird, right? The guy was always against her opinions on The Flash and seemed so self-involved, that it seemed ludicrous that he would even think to ask her out, especially because there were Linda and Jen who both more willing in that department. Maybe she was being too harsh towards Scott, I mean she had judged Eddie the same and look how that turned out. Yeah, look at how that turned out or was going to turn out: she still was going to marry Barry. When Barry told her that their Earth-2 counterparts were happily married, Iris wondered if Reverse Flash’s messing with the timeline also messed with her and Barry’s timeline.

On cue, Iris received a message from Barry: **Hey, need to talk to you about something, can you meet at STAR Labs anytime soon?**

Iris hesitated and then replied: **Sure. My lunch break is in like an hour, is that good?**

Almost immediately he replied: **That’s perfect, see you then.**

Barry put down his phone, he was both a ball of nervousness and excitement. He and Iris hadn’t really discussed their relationship but when he saw how his Earth-2 counterparts lived, he knew that he wanted that. More than anything. Barry thought that he finally needed to be completely honest with her and share the details about their future lives. He often wondered how he and Iris were not together already. It was clear that they were meant to be but it just didn’t seem to be happening, Barry often wondered if that was the real torture.

* * *

 

Iris walked into STAR Labs and saw Barry waiting for her by the entrance, she smiled and hugged him “You never arrive at places before me.” She said softly.

“Well, this is important.” He said, she noted his nervous tone and her heart began to beat faster. Barry touched something on the wall and a door, almost like magic, opened up. Barry motioned for her to enter into the secret room.

“What the hell is this?” she asked.

“This was Thawne’s – Reverse Flash’s lair.” He replied.

“And why are you showing me this creepy room?”

“There is something I wanted to show you. Gideon!” Iris was so busy looking around she jumped back when a speaking head appeared and said: _“Hello Barry Allen.”_

“What in the hell?” Iris exclaimed. Barry took Iris’ hand and led her to the head.

“This is Gideon. She is an Artificial Intelligence framework that I created.” Barry explained.

“Wow, Barry you really have been busy as The Flash,” Iris said, trying to wrap her head around the fact that Barry Allen, the same Barry Allen who watched all the Terminators and told her endlessly how that could actually happen, went and built an AI framework himself. The surprise was unexpected but Iris was a bit disappointed in the big reveal. “Wow Barry that – she is amazing.”

“You haven’t even seen the best part. Ask her anything you want.” Barry excitedly said.

“Okay. Gideon, will Barry Allen ever get tired of being The Flash?” Iris asked with a smile, it was a question she often wondered herself sometimes.

_“Taking your words in to context, I deduced that you are in fact enquiring whether Barry Allen also known as The Flash will ever decrease his superhero activities, according to this graph with the x-axis in years and the y-axis in the mentions of The Flash saves, it seems in the year 2020 The Flash will take a dramatic decrease in his appearances. Barry Allen made that decision presumably after the birth of his first daughter”_

Iris looked at Barry and he seemed to be shocked by the answer Gideon gave but Iris was more concerned about one particular thing.

“I asked her that question as a joke, how did she know all that information? How did she know about the future?” Iris asked Barry.

_“Because I am from the future. Eobard Thawne brought me here as a way to check on the timeline after he got stuck here.”_

“So you haven’t been in invented, yet?” Iris asked Gideon.

_“No, Barry Allen will invent me after he, Oliver and Kara form the Justice Society, as a way to keep in touch with all of its members.”_

Iris looked at Barry again and he looked like this information was news to him.

“So you are controlled by Barry Allen? How did Eobard Thawne bring you here then?” Iris asked, at this point, she realised that Barry clearly hadn’t asked Gideon any of the right questions and took the lead in probing the AI like a source.

_“Eobard Thawne learnt everything about The Flash including how to control me but I can be controlled by the entire leadership of the Justice Society and the Allen family, Barry Allen, you, Iris West-Allen even your children-“_

“Wait what was that? What did you just call me?” Iris asked Gideon

_“Iris West-Allen. That is your name.”_

Iris looked at Barry and for the first time, the answer Gideon gave did not seem to surprise him. In fact, Barry had a smile on his face.

“Barry, what the hell is this?”

“I have been racking my brain about how to show you that we are meant to be and I thought that there was no better way than to actually have someone with future knowledge tell you that we are together, sealing our destiny as soulmates,” Barry explained.

Barry clearly had been holding on to this information for a while and she was reeling and then she was angry. “This is why we are not together,” Iris said softly.

“What?” Barry asked.

_“She said this is why you are not together.”_

“Thanks, Gideon that is enough.” Gideon disappeared and then Barry turned towards Iris “What do you mean by that?”

“What I meant was- What I mean to say was that I am finally understanding why we are not together now.” Iris continued “You are so concerned about the past and the future and what could be, you never actually stay here in the now with me. Barry, how are we supposed to get together if you are so focused on us already being together?” Iris was screaming now.

“I have loved you for almost all of my life, so maybe it gave me validation that we are meant to be together. Is that so wrong?” Iris looked into his eyes, how he seemed so vulnerable in that moment, so open to her.

“It’s too fast. Not all of us are speedsters, Barry, some of us need to take it slow and maybe you do too.” Iris proceeded to walk out the vault, leaving Barry there. Iris made sure not to look back.


	2. What young people do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Barry should take notes from Jesse - live in the moment.

Jesse found herself exploring STAR Labs when she bumps into Barry, who looked beaten down. Jesse wondered what could possibly get The Flash down like this. “Hey, Barry.” She smiled at him, he smiled back at her but she could tell it was strained.

“Hey, Jesse how are you finding Earth-1?” Barry asked.

“Well it is a little different, I mean besides many of the people from this Earth who are villains where actually good guys on my side, it is an easy adjustment.” She replied.

“Well I am glad, I know your father wanted you safe but we also wanted you happy here.” He said with some edge to his voice.

“Speaking of my happiness, I bumped into Iris’ brother Wally earlier and he seemed nice…” Jesse said.

Barry arched his eyebrow “…And?”

“Could you make an introduction? He’s cute and you did just say you want me happy here.” She said.

“Look, I could make the introduction but remember that Wally doesn’t know anything about any of this, so Joe might be hesitant.”

“Well Wally is old enough to make his own decisions besides what does he not know?” she asked.

“That I am The Flash, that there are more than one Earth’s that you and your father are not from this Earth and that is about it.”

Jesse looked at Barry confused for a moment and then said: “That seems like it will blow up quick but I am here for a good time so can you make it happen?” Jesse smiled up at Barry and then he nodded.

Barry watched Jesse walk away giddy and he found himself jealous at how simple it was for them.

* * *

 

Iris and Wally finished setting the table for dinner and Iris jumped when she heard a knock at the door. Iris watched as her father rushed from the kitchen to get the pizzas they ordered.

“Why are you so jumpy?” Wally asked Iris, she began to speak but was cut off when her father arrived in the dining room with Barry and Jesse. Iris was glad there were more people around so she didn’t ever have to be alone with Barry it had been three weeks since their fight.

During dinner, Iris avoided Barry’s apologetic gaze and Wally and Jesse spoke as if no one else was around them, when they made to leave the dinner table to go get some ice cream from the diner down the street, Iris decided it was her chance to leave too.

Once all three of them were gone Joe looked at Barry and asked: “I don’t have to be concerned about Jesse hanging out with Wally do I?”

“Nah, I spoke to her and she agreed to keep all the Earth-2 and The Flash things to herself, besides I just think she needs a friend,” Barry said in a matter of fact way.

“The way those two were looking at each other was not in a ‘let’s be friends’ manner.”

“Is that so?”

“You know Iris turned down going on a date with her boss last week. Did she tell you that?”

Barry tried to keep his demeanour as calm as possible and asked: “Why did she do that?”

“She said that she thought that she was confused emotionally and that is not the best time to be getting involved with someone. Know anything about that?” Joe asked, now looking at Barry directly.

Barry shrugged and said “You know me and Iris are all kinds of confusing emotionally. That hasn’t changed since she found out I was The Flash or since Eddie died.”

“But you want it to?”

“Of course I do but at this point, I feel like I have done everything I possibly can.” Barry finally letting the emotion reach his voice and eyes.

“Maybe you should treat her the same way you would treat a girl you like and would like to get to know. Ask her out on a casual date, be less concerned about what could be and enjoy what is. Don’t be in too much of a hurry Bear.” Barry seemed to relax and Joe continued “You know how I know Jesse and Wally like each other? Because I saw that look on you and Iris’ face before you both went away to college.”

* * *

 

Wally and Jesse kissed each other slowly at first but after tasting the sweet residue of ice cream on their lips Jesse and Wally began to kiss more feverishly, when Wally started to squeeze Jesse’s thigh, she let out a moan and he used the opportunity to invade her mouth with his tongue, they were, at this point, full-blown making out in his car, in the abandoned parking lot of Cove’s Ice Cream Diner. Jesse reached for the back of Wally’s head, encouraging him to continue when her phone rang and she saw it was her father.

“Damn, he’s probably wondering, where I am.” She said.

Wally was trying to get himself under control and so he asked: “Where should I drop you off?”

“STAR Labs.” She said so cavalierly.

Wally looked at her confused “My father and I are fleeing from Zoom, and the guys at STAR Labs are keeping us safe.” It was the truth but she just left out key points of the story.

“You know my dad is a cop he can help with all of that,” Wally said.

“It’s okay, your dad knows. I am sure he also agrees that the people at STAR Labs are the best people to take care of us.” She said.

Wally looked at her and realised she might be holding back but she believed what she said so he switched the car on and made his way to STAR Labs.

When they arrived outside the building, Wally switched the car off and sat back, he watched Jesse type and a smile crept onto his face, along with some dirty thoughts about where he would have loved to put his hand next if he got the chance. Jesse finally texted her father she was coming inside when she could feel Wally looking at her, she didn’t think he was aware that he was biting his lip.

Jesse reached for his chin to get him to release his lower lip and then gave him a peck. “I want you to know that I don’t usually go so quickly with guys I just met but I like you and tonight was fun.”

“I’m glad. You are way too beautiful and smart to not do what you want to do, in spite of Zoom. I was hoping we could do it again sometime, only without the family dinner prequel.” He said.

“That sounds good. I may actually take you up on that offer sooner rather than later considering how uncomfortable the beds in STAR Labs are.” She said giggling at his shocked expression, she got out the car. She hoped he was watching her as she walked away. He was.


	3. The Flash can be a bad guy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry just wants to be loved but at what cost?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys wanted me to add some Patty and I did.

Barry sighed as he put down his phone for the third time. He was finding it hard to talk to Iris and even though he wanted to take Joe’s advice, he realised that he should probably give her space.

“Brooding looks good on you.” Barry turned quickly and saw Patty Spivot smiling, leaning against his door.

He stood up and gave her a hug “It’s good to see you, Patty.” It really was good to see her, they really hadn’t left things on a good note, with her forcing him to reveal himself as The Flash and him not fighting for her to stay.

“I was back in town for a week and I thought that I should come by and say hey. Hey.” She said smiling at him. Barry may not have loved Patty but he loved being with her because she wore her emotions on her sleeve and he loved knowing where he stood because he was just like her.

\---

Barry is finally dressed and ready to go when he bumps into Joe coming back from work. “You look nice Bear, you finally took my advice about Iris, I’m guessing.”

“Actually, I’m going to dinner with Patty,” Barry said.

Joe looked at Barry with his all too knowing eyes and said. “I thought I saw her at the station today, is she back permanently?”

“Nah, just for a week,” Barry said trying to be cavalier but he saw how Joe immediately relaxed.

\--

Joe and Iris were setting the table for Friday dinner when Wally came and said: “Oh don’t set a place for me, I am not staying for dinner because I have a date with Jesse.”

“Wally now you know we have these dinners at least twice a week, you can’t just miss them.” Joe said to him, Iris was smiling to herself before Barry came down the stairs and grabbed his jacket as if he was going out “Now where are you going, Barry?” Joe asked with a raised voice.

“Out with Patty, I have to work tomorrow so,” Barry said shrugging.

Wally then said, “If Barry doesn’t have to stay, I don’t know why I have to.”

Iris then spoke up, refusing to look at Barry “If you guys want to miss the few dinners we have together then you can go.” It was passive aggressive and she knew that but what she was not expecting was for both Barry and Wally to only take a moment to consider what she said before they left.

Iris immediately felt empty and sat down without finishing the dinner table set up.

“It’s okay, baby girl.” Joe tried comforting his daughter but she refused to look up so he sat down next to her and continued “You can’t blame Barry for wanting to be around Patty.”

“I can’t?” Iris said still looking down.

“As much as Barry loves you and I know for sure the love he has for you is astronomical, there is only so much rejection a person can take before their self-esteem takes a hit.”

“I don’t mean to hurt him or make him feel bad.”

“I know that sweetie but, you can’t blame him for choosing to be with Patty when she always reciprocated his feelings. It’s not just good for his self-esteem but I think Barry really just wants to be loved by a woman and frankly, since it can’t be you, I guess she will do.”

“That’s not fair to her,” Iris said finally looking up.

“It’s not but it also wasn’t fair when you were doing it with Eddie.” He said.

“I wasn’t using Eddie!” Iris said extremely hurt.

“Maybe not at first, but as soon as Barry got out of the coma, the only reason you were with Eddie was that you were comfortable and being with Barry would have forced you to step out your comfort zone you built with your friendship. I hate to break it to you but you guys are no longer friends it seems now, so that comfort zone is gone.”

“So what do I do?” She asked and her father thought on it for a moment before saying “In this life, you only get rewarded if you hold back nothing.”

It was a quiet dinner as Iris waited for Barry to come home but before long it was time for her to return to her apartment and finish the story she had been working on, her boss was on her a lot lately and considering she had turned him down for a date, she did not want to give him any more reason to hate her guts.

Barry watched Iris leave the house and entered the house relieved, he was almost to his room when Joe came out the bathroom and saw him all messed up, clearly indicating the events of his night, and he just sighed. Barry was glad Joe didn’t lecture him because he already felt bad about it.

\---

Barry was about to start the last of his reports when he thought about last night again.

_“Come on Barry, it’s just for one night,” Patty said as she led him into her hotel room. She didn’t waste any time as she unbuckled his pants and got on her knees she was sucking him off within seconds. Barry tried to will himself to stop her but when he looked down he was shocked to see that she was Iris. He knew it was just a quick hallucination but it startled him enough that he stumbled backwards._

_“What's wrong? You always loved it when I gave you head.” She took his hand and lead him to the bedroom as she stripped down Barry tried to think of ways out of this and then Iris popped into his mind, it was both a torture and a reprieve because here he had a woman that wanted to be with him and all he could think about was the one who didn’t so even though he knew he would come to regret it Barry imagined Patty was Iris and then began to strip down himself. When he got out of the bed later that night he wondered how much his aching for Iris had not subsided, it actually increased and now he used someone he cared about as a distraction to dull his ache._

Barry snapped out of it when he heard a knock at the lab door. It was Iris and for a moment he had to blink a couple of times to make sure she was really here.

“Hi, I wanted to talk to you,” Iris said handing him a cup of coffee, Barry was too distracted, by the fact that she was actually here and talking to him so he even though he didn’t drink it, he grabbed the cup so that he would have something to do with his hands.

“What do you want to talk about?” Barry asked her unable to look away from her beautiful face, there really was no substitute for the real thing.

“I don’t want to hold anything in anymore.” She took a breath and then began to say “I love –“


	4. Third wheel fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iris confides in her little brother

Patty was determined to keep her cool, to pretend like Barry hadn’t hurt her by saying Iris’ name during sex last night or that he left her in the middle of the night because he was too much of a coward to face her. She walked up to Barry’s lab when she heard talking it was Barry and Iris. Patty knew she should probably interrupt them but then her petty-self came out when she realised that Iris was about to make a declaration of love.

“Hey, Bear.” She said with a forced big smile she went up to him and kissed him on the cheek.

Barry looked taken aback but that didn’t stop her she continued “There is no need to get shy, I mean I no longer work here and we did way more than kiss last night.” Barry looked like he was about to speak, and she did not want to give him the opportunity to talk himself out of it so she took the jacket he left at her hotel room, found by the maid in the morning and gave it to him. “You left this in my room.”

Patty could see that Iris recognised the jacket and her face visibly fell.

“I-I should go, I have an article coming out and my editor is on me.” Iris gave a forced smile and walked out.

For a guy who moved at superspeed, Barry was awfully slow at reacting to the situation. As soon as Iris left though Patty turned to look at Barry with nothing more than pure anger in her face “You are a piece of shit Barry Allen.” She said calmly “It’s bad enough that you drive me out of Central City with a lie but now you actually fuck me and imagine that it’s Iris instead? What is wrong with you?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know. Patty, you have to know how sorry I am. I am not the kind of guy that would do that.” Barry said to her with almost tears in his eyes, she had no idea what he had to cry about.

“But you did do that Barry. Which means you are the kind of guy that would do that.” Patty left him reeling and didn’t notice Wally standing off to the side.

Wally walked in to see Barry with his head in his hands “You know I was coming to ask if you had any advice for me but I think that maybe you could use the ear.”

* * *

 

Wally’s phone vibrated with another message from Jesse: **I thought you wanted us to double date with your sister and Barry?**

Wally replied: **Well let’s just say that they are not in a good place right now.**

Wally’s phone vibrated: **When are they ever?**

Wally looked down to read Jesse’s text message and didn’t notice when Linda walked right out of CCPN into him, dropping his phone.

“I am so sorry. I did not see you there.” Wally said to the exceptionally pretty woman helping him collect the parts of his phone cover.

“It’s okay. Someone as cute as you can always get a one-time pass.” She smiled as she walked away and for a moment, Wally forgot why he was even at CCPN and then he saw Iris. She did not look great but when he approached her, she put a strained smile on her face and stood up to give him a hug.

“Hey, baby brother.”

“I am not a baby. I am a man.” Wally was now wondering if Iris talked about him as if he was a child to her friends and coworkers.

“Yeah, but we never grew up together so I never got to tease my brother about being the baby.”

“Didn’t you get your brother teasing out on Barry.” Wally regretted bringing him up immediately when he said it as her face fell.

“Me and Barry we were never like that. Brother and sister, I mean.”

“Because you guys are in love with each other, right?” Wally said.

“Yeah but maybe in this timeline or earth, we are just not meant to be. It’s just too hard.” Iris said.

“What? This timeline? This earth?” Wally asked.

“I have to tell you something,” Iris said.

* * *

 

“So Barry is The Flash? Jesse’s father is Harrison Wells but both of them are not from this earth because the actual Harrison Wells from this earth was really a guy named Eobard Thawne dedicated to destroying Barry?”

“Pretty much.” Iris said as she watched Wally pace back and forth in her apartment she continued “You also can’t tell dad I told you all of this.”

“Why did you tell me all of this?” Wally asked.

Iris then got up herself, clearly pacing was genetic because Iris began to do so “Because-because I need someone to talk to and sure I could talk to Caitlin and Cisco but they are more Barry’s friends and talking to dad would have just put him in the middle and I don’t exactly have Barry anymore so.”

“And here I was thinking that maybe you thought I deserved to know the truth,” Wally said but not bitterly.

“I do think you deserve to know, Barry and dad lied to me for months about his powers and when you came around dad thought it was best that maybe you feel like a part of the family before we spring our secrets onto you.”

“Secrets make a family. I keep yours, you keep mine.” Wally said to his sister taking her hand.

“Yeah, they do.” Iris then sat down and put her head in her hands and Wally sat down next to her and rubbed her back.

Wally had no experience with friends, let alone female friends so he had no idea how to comfort her but his concern over whether he was doing was cut short when there was a knock at the door and then another one.

Wally went to open it and Barry was on the other side with cronuts and an apologetic look on his face.

Barry walked in slowly and asked to speak with Iris so Wally made way to leave the room but Iris told him to stay because Barry was not going to be staying long. It was a quiet conversation at first and then they were screaming at each other.

“So I’m supposed to be happy that you were thinking about me while fucking? Well, thank you, Barry, for including me in your horrible treatment of a woman you claimed to care for.”

“I know it was wrong but I was lonely and hurt… and you said it yourself. We are not together.” Barry said to her and Iris didn’t immediately reply so Wally turned to look at her face and then he saw more anger flash through but then it became calm, maybe calm wasn’t the word to describe it, the better word would be cold.

“You are right we are not together. We are too broken and maybe we will never be the people we were meant to be in the future and that prospect actually makes me feel a lot freer than I have felt in months Barry so thank you. You can do what you want.” When Iris spoke it was like everything hit Barry like an emotional bullet up until that last part which left Barry with the most dejected look in his face that he has ever seen on him. Wally could not bring himself to watch Barry walk out the door.

As soon as the door closed Iris broke down crying and Wally was there by her side comforting her until she cried herself to sleep.

Wally finally made it home when he saw his father sitting in front of the TV asleep, he woke him up and Joe smiled up at him. “I didn’t expect you back tonight.”

“Yeah after everything that happened with Iris and Barry, I stayed until she fell asleep, I wouldn’t have come back but I have to write my final exam the day after tomorrow.”

“What happened with Iris and Barry?” Joe asked.

Wally thought about telling him the whole story but remembered how Iris had put her trust in him and then said: “All I can say that either the two dinners a week are now going to be missing at least one person or they are going to be the most awful dinners ever.”

“That bad?” Joe asked.

“Yep.” Wally made his way up the stairs to go and sleep when Joe called to him. “Was your date with Jesse at least better?”

Oh shit. Wally hurried to put his phone on the charger and switch it on when he saw the unread messages from Jesse:

**Do you still want me to be ready by 8 pm?**

**Okay, I am running late so how about 9 pm?**

**My dad is causing all kinds of hell so I will just meet you at the bowling alley :)**

**Where are you, I am here waiting?**

**It’s been an hour, are you coming?**

**I guess you aren’t coming, a heads up would have been nice.**

**Just bumped into Barry and he said that you are at your sister's, why didn’t you just tell me that?**

Wally called Jesse to apologise but her phone was off so he left a message to apologise and promised that he would make it up to her as soon as he passed this exam and qualified for his master’s degree.

The next couple of days were going to be long ones, not as long as Barry’s or Iris' he thought and then set an alarm for 7 am and packed his bag with his study materials.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry WestAllen is always endgame, it's in my name but the good drama is always important


End file.
